Haunted
by TheLadyIntegra
Summary: Chloe isn't the only one Rush saves from the Spaceship. Young isn't too happy about it, especially when their little newcomer pledges allegiance to the scientist that saved her life. She's not much of a threat though, even if she gives TJ the creeps - no, the real problems are the weird looks Chloe's been tossing Rush, and Eli's inability to choose a side. Drama ensues.
1. Rescue

Hallo thar! I just finished downloading all of SGU, and I figured I'd celebrate by posting this. I actually wrote it AGES ago, but I guess without feedback I just forgot about it...Anywho.

Summary: Takes Place during and after season 1 episode 11: Space. Rush moves to escape the Alien spaceship with Chloe but discovers another human on board. He rescues her, and doing so will have unforeseen repercussions when she pledges her life and loyalty to him. Young isn't too happy about it. She's not much of a threat though, even if she gives TJ the creeps - no, the real problems are the weird looks Chloe's been tossing Rush, and Eli's inability to choose a side. Drama ensues.

Chapter 1: Rescue

* * *

He had caught a glimpse of whoever it was through the aliens mind, just as Col. Young had switched with it. He had, for a split second, seen _another_ human, _other_ then Chloe on the ship. The image had been fleeting – nothing but a shadowy shape behind misted glass. But he shook his head, trying to push the image away. The alien was dead, and now he needed to escape. He needed to find Chloe and get out of there. There was no time for distractions, even though he felt the image of the other human burnt into his mind.

He bent down and picked up the piping Col. Young had used to free him. He grasped the pole in his hands and tried to calm his breathing.

Rush trotted swiftly out of the small room holding his tank and down a long corridor in the direction he knew Chloe to be. She had been in an open section of the ship, without a door. His moved lightly on his feet to avoid the wet, pattering noises of skin on metal, but he could do nothing about the occasional dripping of water from his straggly hair that seemed to echo throughout the entire corridor. When a loud bang sounded and sparks flew from a grate in the floor, he was forced to brace himself against the wall. The ship was taking hits and there wasn't much time before the Destiny would either take it out completely or be destroyed. In fact, he was surprised Young was taking so long. Certainly it wasn't for his sake – so Chloe's then.

He kept moving, and his eyes narrowed when he spied a turning coming up. He braced himself against the wall, peering around to see another corridor that ended in a 'T' shape. He quickly ducked behind the wall again when two of the Aliens moved past the opening at the end. He could continue straight, or turn and then be faced with another 'left or right' decision.

He continued moving straight.

He found her without encountering any more of the Alien creatures. She was at the end of the corridor, in a room with a large opening and no door, in a tank that looked slightly different to his. She was dressed in the same black wet-suite type outfit as him, and floated gently, looking almost serene in a ghostly way.

He couldn't hesitate – Young wouldn't be able to wait long before being forced to destroy the ship. He swung the pipe behind his head and down with all his might, again and again. The glass – plastic – whatever it was, cracked slowly and then gave way to the pressure of the water in one big explosion of water and flying bits of tank.

Chloe fell forward, scraping her arms on the jagged bits of glass that still remained encasing her. Rush stepped forward and caught her as she fell, lowering her to the ground as gently as possible. He quickly set about untangling her from the various pipes attached to a mask on her face. When he slowly peeled away the mind-probing device from her temple, her eyes snapped open and she gasped, cringing away in terror. He spoke soothingly to her as he removed her mask.

"It's okay, it's okay. It's okay, it's okay."

Chloe stared at him in amazement.

"It's okay, It's okay," He repeated softly at the sight of her panicked expression. He gently cupped the side of her face, 'We have to go. Here.'

Taking her arm, he helped her to sit up, then pulled her to her feet. He picked up his glass pipe weapon and they moved to leave the room. She staggered into him when there was another boom and the ship rocked violently, both of them struggling to keep their feet. Rush crouched and balanced himself by placing his arms wide and moving onto his toes for a brief second. When he straightened up, his eyes widened and he hurried towards the edge of the room, pulling Chloe along with him to cower against a wall out of sight of the corridor. He heard Chloe breathing heavily behind him and her breathy, 'Oh God,' As the ship gave another shudder.

He glanced around him – the corridor he had just come down, or another one leading off? He heard Chloe swallow thickly behind him, and her breath on his neck as she asked, 'Where are we going?'

He glanced between the two options, and decided on the one he hadn't yet been down. The corridor he had come from had shown no signs of an exit. Absently grabbing her wrist, he said, 'This way,' and set off, pulling the shaking young woman along with him as the ship was struck again.

As they hurried down the seemingly deserted corridor – the aliens were probably all in the control room or whatever they had instead, trying for damage control – Rush felt himself becoming somewhat angry. No, not quite angry…more like indignant. Of all the people he had thought might get abducted, Chloe had never crossed his mind. He could hear her whimpering behind him, clinging to his arm like a lifeline. It pulled at something inside him – something he didn't like to feel. Miss Armstrong had never been particularly important to him other then for the brief moment where she had attempted to attack him after her father had sacrificed himself, and perhaps on another day he wouldn't care whether she lived or died. But right now, right as he shielded her body from another sparking grate that exploded right in from of them, he felt that he might actually be focused on saving _her_ more then _him._

Chloe was useless – there was no other way to put it. She wouldn't even be a practical meat-shield, skinny as she was. She wasn't clued up on ancient technology, she couldn't fire a gun. As far as he was concerned, she wouldn't even be capable of holding a flashlight the right way.

But, despite all of this, she had become one of the most important members of the crew, right up there with Eli and Lt. Johansen. Perhaps it was because of her father, perhaps because of Lt. Scott's relationship and Eli's infatuation with her. Whatever the reason, she was one of the people on the Destiny that most would – for no discernable reason, consider worth saving.

So why the _fuck_, he asked himself with a scowl, was she on this ship? She had Eli and his brains, Scott and his gun and Greer – who was a weapon all by himself – wherever Scott was. How could a girl so in the middle of _everything _be so easily taken, and according to Young's "Chloe _may_ be aboard that ship," – indicating his uncertainty of it – so easily misplaced?

For people who prided themselves on 'protecting their own' and yada yada, they were bloody incompetent fools. So once again it fell down to _him_to get the job done when they couldn't and save Miss Armstrong. And, he found himself determined to do it. Because right there, she became important. She was the only one who would ever know – the only one who would understand. And maybe that wasn't the only reason – maybe he was beginning to understand her importance to the others. Because, as he pulled her along, he realized that she made him _want_ to protect, _want_ to save. She was just one of those people that pulled on ones basic instinct to protect the helpless.

And to think – he had prided himself on not _having _that instinct.

The corridor was turning gradually, giving him the hopeful feeling that they were at the very edge of the ship. That meant that, by the information he had stolen through the mind-probe device, they were close to the fighter bay.

But as they ran through the shuddering ship, Rush suddenly stopped. Chloe stumbled to a halt next to him, and glanced up in confusion to find him staring with a wide-eyed, confused frown on his face at a door to their left. It was closed, but Rush was sure it looked familiar.

"We _haven't _been going in circles," He muttered firmly, "So this must be…?"

He stepped forward and jabbed at the alien buttons next to the door, Chloe hovering anxiously behind him but saying nothing. After about half a minute of nondescript curses, the round entrance suddenly split in two and opened.

He heard Chloe's gasp of surprise, and couldn't stop his own grimace. It was the other human, the one who he had seen for a split second through the alien connection. He moved through the entrance and approached the misty tank, wiping his hands over the condensed surface to make a clear window.

"Oh my God…" Chloe whispered in horror, and Rush agreed with the sentiment.

It was wrinkled and ugly, like a newborn babe – with skin so white it was almost gray. It was a girl, her age indecipherable through the wrinkled skin, but she was smaller than either of them. Rush swallowed with a grimace. Now was not the time he would like to be making life-or-death decisions, but he didn't really have a choice. The girl, whoever she was, looked _dead_. If it weren't for the tiny bubble coming put of her mask, he might even think she was. She was going to slow them down, no doubt about it.

But…

"Stand back," He said to Chloe, who immediately obeyed. She seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Rush understood the feeling.

He repeated the process he had gone through with Chloe, repeatedly smashing the pipe against the glass. It was on the third hit that the pipe broke into small, useless pieces of jagged glass. Rush scowled, searching around for another. Unfortunately, the room was different to his and seemed completely bare.

There was no choice then…

Chloe had barely gotten the words, "Wait, don't!" out before Rush pulled his leg up and smashed the heel of his bare foot through the cracked and leaking glass with a grunt. He tried not to make a sound at the pain of feeling the skin of his foot cut open, and instead hopped backwards to allow the water out.

The girl flopped forward and landed with a splat like a dead fish – Rush hadn't been fast enough to catch her. He limped his way over and he and Chloe knelt down next to her. She was thin – even compared to Chloe, which was quite a feat. He couldn't tell if it was her natural build or due to lack of the sufficient nutrients through the tank, but she was practically skeletal, with twig-like arms and hollow cheek-bones.

Chloe untangled the tubes, while Rush moved for the probing device. He removed it as gently as possible, knowing the pain of the thing attached like a leech to ones skin. As soon as it was off, like with Chloe, her eyes flew open and her head shot up with a gasp.

He frowned. The girl's eyes were possibly blue, but they were too pale to tell. They looked almost white. They locked with his in the same wide, panicky way as Chloe's had, and he repeated the mantra of "It's okay now, you're alright," with his hand on her ice-cold cheek and feeling somewhat pathetic for not being able to come up with something else. It didn't seem to calm her at all, and her eyes rolled around, mouth opening and closing desperately. She made a strange, moaning sound and flapped her arms about uselessly, but Rush was already pulling her up. There was no time.

The girl, shorter then both he and Chloe by over a head staggered and dry heaved, her body convulsing. Rush and Chloe's expressions were mirrors of helplessness and panic. There was no _time_.

Rush desperately moved forward, and with surprising agility and strength, hoisted the girl up and threw her over his shoulder. She gave very little resistance, only panting loudly and heavily. The ship was now constantly shuddering, and all around them and in the distance they could hear explosions. They tore down the corridor, no longer caring about detection, with Rush doing his best to ignore his injured heel. They would overpower any aliens that confronted them – adrenaline would be their savior.

He could barely remember the rest. It was all a blur – tearing down the ship, dodging small explosions until finally they reached a hangar of sorts with what appeared to be shuttles. It took a desperate ten minutes, he recalled, to remember exactly what he had learnt through the reverse mind-probe trick he had tried. And when he had finally got it, it was another can of worms entirely to avoid being shot down by their own ship. Their shuttle twisted and turned, and once spun over completely – the only thing stopping them from rolling around like monkeys in a barrel being the precarious seat-belts in the narrow chairs. Chloe barely managed to stop herself from throwing up, and the other girl passed out altogether.

The docking was fairly simple – they didn't have to wait for clamps and simply cut a hole into the ship. He let Chloe down first, and heard the sound of guns being cocked and an ecstatic shout of "Matt!" and she disappeared from view. Rush unbuckled the other girl and held her like a baby, tucking her head into his shoulder before crouching down and jumping through the whole.

He landed heavily, first on his feet – doing his best not to land on his cut heel - then on his rear, and rolled over the edge of the fallen piece of ship, landing on his back and clutching the girl's head to his chest, making sure it didn't hit a wall or the ground.

He had blinked and looked up the barrel of the pistol pointed down at him to find Greer looking confused, suspicious, and slightly concerned.

"Colonel said you were dead." He almost accused. Rush rolled his eyes and impatiently pushed the girl off him. She rolled over limply, her back to him and he lent exhaustedly against the wall.

"Oh, did he?" He asked in a mocking, but tired tone, 'Did he say how it happened?'

"Rockslide,' Greer said shortly, his dark eyes turning from Rush to the girl.

"Ah, well, obviously he was wrong again," He impatiently waved away the pistol, indicating that Greer should point it somewhere else. He reluctantly lowered it, but used it to gesture at the body.

"Who's that?"

Rush glanced shortly at the strange, wrinkled creature sprawled next to him, not having much energy to care. He shrugged, running a hand through his limp, still wet hair.

"I have no idea."

* * *

Confusion, lights and sounds. Words she could barely catch – this new language, it had been placed in her mind but she still couldn't fully grasp it. Movement of other bodies, hands grabbing and lifting her. Prodding and poking, prying her eyes open and burning them with painful lights. Sticking sharp objects into her and flooding her with strange liquid. Bustle everywhere. So much activity she struggled to keep track of it all. Frozen – too much happening. Unable to tell dream from reality. The light blinds. Voices, far too many of them. Many sounds. Speech that sounded too fast, the bustle making her panic. Unable to remember how she had gotten into the room in the first place. Where had the water gone? Why was her face naked? What about the blue one's and the clicking, creaking sound that passed for their language.

Struggling to stay awake now. She wants something but can't remember what…No, not something. Someone. Two orbs of brown, the only discernible features in a blurry outline of a face. The new person, the one who had been feeding her mind with new information. His language permeating her consciousness. Sights she had never seen – a floating vessel on a large body of water. The man fighting desperately with another, larger being on a harsh, desert terrain. Striking him over the head with a rock before being knocked into unconsciousness. Holding a woman with yellow hair...

She wants him, but sleep comes first.

* * *

Dan, dan, dan! Tell me what you think in a review?


	2. Problem, lieutenant?

omw, thank you to my three beautiful reviewers! ^^ this one's for you.

Problem, lieutenant?

"She should be okay for now. I don't know what sort of mental damage there may be, but physically she's fine. She just needs to exercise her limbs, she probably hasn't moved in quite a while." TJ said quietly. She turned to look with a more focused gaze on the lean man standing by the entrance to what passed as the infirmary on the ancient spaceship. He shifted his gaze from the comatose girl on the bed and turned the fierce orbs onto her. She refused to flinch, despite the fact that the doc's gaze was like that of a hawk.

"Rush," came a firm voice, as if on cue from TJ's look. "Who is she?"

Dr Rush shrugged his shoulders and rubbed his mouth slightly before holding his chin between his index finger and thumb and folding his other arm across his chest. "I wouldn't know Colonel." He replied with clear agitation in his subtle Scottish accent, facing the girl in the bed and regarding her apathetically. TJ tried to make something out of his gaze – concern? Curiosity? But he looked at the girl with no discernable emotion. She didn't know what to make of it, even as Rush continued sarcastically, "It was a hostile alien space ship after all, and I was rather disorientated after a pleasant stay in one of their water tanks having my mind probed. Forgive me if I forgot to check for a name tag while trying to escape with her and Chloe."

Colonel Young frowned at his scathing tone and sent Rush a disapproving glare, which Rush ignored. Young sighed inwardly and was forcibly reminded of why he had knocked the man out and left him to die on a dead planet without food or water in the first place. Or, according to his crew, left him when he fell victim to a deadly rockslide. Despite a certain amount of pent up guilt, resulting in an eerie sense of relief when he found out that he had been 'saved' from death from starvation by aliens, he was already beginning to wonder about when the opportunity would finally come to throw the stubborn son-of-a bitch out an airlock.

"So you're saying you've never seen her before?" Young probed. Rush closed his eyes as if trying to calm himself before turning his head angrily to the colonel.

"Ah, no Colonel. Actually, I'm pretty sure we've met. Forgive me for forgetting. In a practically deserted galaxy billions of light-years from home, it gets so hard to keep track of whom you've met," He spat, eyes narrowing in angry mockery, "We're just overflowing with friendly visitors, after all."

TJ looked between the two men and, not for the first time, wondered what had really happened on the planet where Rush had supposedly died in a rockslide. From what she knew, people didn't die in rockslides and pitch up week's later on hostile alien space ships. The animosity between the two was no secret, and the colonel could hardly be trusted with his temper. However, Rush had backed up the colonel's version of what had happened on the planet, to many a suspicious crewmembers surprise. Then again, Rush definitely had ulterior motives. What they were though, was anyone's guess.

"Okay," she cut in to what would surely become a heated argument over Rush's attitude. "Well, could you give us any information on what her condition was like on the ship? Similar to yours?"

She felt that perhaps she should have kept quiet when the scientist's angry gaze once again turned on her.

"Yes. Same as mine." He said shortly. TJ nodded to him expectantly, hoping he would elaborate. His expression grew irritated, but he opened his mouth to speak.

"She was in a room, identical to the one I was kept in. That would suggest that she had undergone much the same treatment as I had, unlike Chloe."

Young furrowed his brow and took a step forward. Rush and TJ both turned to look at him in silent enquiry.

"What do you mean 'unlike Chloe'?" He questioned. "She was in a tank too, wasn't she?"

Rush once again stared at the girl in the bed instead of Young. One of the colonel's eyes twitched slightly at the blatant disrespect. He was running out of temper. Rush simply shook his head and lifted the hand holding his chin outwards, fingers splayed and palm up in a gesture that suggested helplessness before replying.

"No. Miss Armstrong was in a completely different room, a room that was open to the rest of the ship, as if she was on display. Unlike mine and," he gestured to the unknown girl, "This one's cells, which were firmly closed off. Chloe clearly served a different purpose to them." He swung his arms down and shifted his weight between hips, unknowingly clenching and unclenching his hands while staring down Colonel Young. "Oh, and congratulations on letting her get taken by the way." He started scathingly. "Superb display of military efficiency when aliens can board this ship and simply kidnap your people."

Young took a few angry steps forward, glaring hatefully at Rush before TJ intercepted him, grabbing his shoulders and effectively shielding the doctor, "Hey, hey, hey. Come on, I know tempers are running a little short at the moment, but colonel, Dr Rush has just been through a terrible ordeal of his own. He made the effort to save this girl, whoever she is, and Chloe. Maybe now isn't the time for an interrogation?"

She was shocked when, instead of the usual, defiant glare that Rush would send to the colonel in response to violence, he shrunk back and his eyes widened in fear. What the heck was going on? Rush had _never_ been afraid of the colonel. Wary, yes, but never this sudden, open display of fear. It seemed that Young had noticed too, because he froze and his eyes searched the doctor's face hesitantly before focusing on TJ.

"Right…" He muttered, backing away awkwardly, and though Rush got a hold over the emotions showing on his face, his body language remained exactly the same: tense, almost panicky.

"Maybe you should leave, Colonel?" She made the suggestion firmly, leaving no doubt that she wouldn't allow their arguing to continue. Young spared Rush one more glance before turning on his heel and moving quickly away down the corridor, as though he couldn't wait to be gone.

TJ sighed slightly in relief and turned to the difficult to handle certified genius that was the bane of her commander's existence. His shoulders dropped from around his neck and he seemed to relax. TJ opened her mouth, wanting to know what had just happened, but she thought better of it and turned away to fiddle with a bottle of aspirin, giving him time to compose himself.

When she turned back, he had taken a seat next to the bed of the mysterious girl. He looked tired, with dark shadows beneath his eyes. His hair had grown long without the aid of a hairdresser and spilled over his face, hiding it in shadow. TJ approached him cautiously and sat down on her mystery patient's bed next to him. He frowned slightly and looked up at her.

"I suppose you'll be wanting to give me a check up too then?" He asked in a resigned voice. TJ smiled encouragingly and nodded.

"I'll make it quick, I promise. I know how badly you want to get back to work."

"Yes," He drew the word out slowly. "I need to be getting back to the control room and find out how buggered this ship's become without me babysitting the science team. Haste would be appreciated, lieutenant."

TJ didn't reply and they sat in silence for about thirty seconds before Rush frowned at her and broke the silence.

"This is really bothering you, isn't it?"

TJ started slightly and found that she had to turn away from the girl to look at Rush in confusion. She shook herself mentally and gave him what she hoped was a nonchalant look. He snorted slightly in response.

"Don't give me that look, lieutenant. And don't try to pretend that she doesn't bother you. She can't be older than fifteen, correct? Having a child under your care unsettles you." He turned haunted eyes to the girl's head lying comfortable on a pillow next to him, silver hair spread out around it. "Or possibly this particular child. Believe me when I say I don't blame you. It is quite possible that she was in that tank for years, just by looking at her physical condition. This girl has been through some things no one should have to endure, let alone a child."

TJ swallowed painfully. Rush had hit the nail on the head, no surprises there though. Nothing, absolutely nada, slipped past the observant man. She had been stupid to even try and hide her disturbed feelings about the girl…She was awful to look at. Her skin was a network of pale bumps and lines, like some sort of albino prune. And the truth was that she couldn't stand treating children. Injured kids were possibly her worst nightmare. She hated the feelings of helplessness that children gave her, like no matter what she did it would never be okay.

To her surprise, a firm hand gripped her arm. She looked down and saw Rush forward slightly and gazing intently at her. TJ didn't like the look in his eyes, or the feeling of having his hands on her. '_Dangerous,'_ her mind supplied quietly.

"Don't let it get to you, lieutenant. The people of this ship need you ready for action." He said sternly, almost harshly. "Do not tell yourself that she is your whole responsibility because she is unwell." He tightened his grip for a brief second placing his hand back in his lap.

TJ smiled weakly and turned away, trying to hide her troubled expression.

"Right, lets get you checked up."

* * *

Dr Rush swept into the control room, immediately halting whatever conversation Park, Brody and Eli had been having (Volker was helping Bekker repair his gloop machine. He had met the pair after TJ had forced him to eat something in the mess). He ignored them, even though he could feel their not-so-subtle stares, and took up his regular spot behind the main control panel. He had gotten away free with nothing but a bandage on his torn foot. Chloe seemed perfectly fine, and was fast asleep now after having changed. It seemed strange to him how, just a week ago, he hadn't given a crap about what Miss Armstrong was doing. But now…

Well, now he found that he wanted to be kept updated on her condition – regularly updated. It was strange how quickly someone became a real factor in your life. He knew, or at least felt that it was highly probably, that she wasn't sleeping at all, but rather lying awake, reliving excruciatingly painful memories. Or, if she was asleep, reliving them anyway through nightmares.

After coming back, he ignored any objections, demands, and questions about the new girl. He let Sgt. Greer haul her to the infirmary, and had gone straight to his quarters, grabbed his clothes and taken one of the infamous steam showers. The steam was barely tolerable, and made him feel a fresh wave of panic similar to claustrophobia – but he had to do it. He needed to replace that bitter, bluish tinted surgical-smelling liquid with destinies light, feathery, rust-smelling steam. He needed to replace the ice-cold memory in his pallid skin with warmth, and bring a fresh glow back. He had a tiny slab of soap and a small bottle of shampoo. He usually saved them for after coming back from a particularly dusty planet and he'd only been forced to use them about three times. He used it to wash away the smell – like chlorine, only stronger. At least, he thought with a derisive snort, he and Chloe were probably the cleanest people on the whole ship.

After that, he had immediately been accosted by TJ and taken straight to the infirmary. Chloe had already been checked over and had taken the signal from him to steam-shower. Then it was Young and Wray demanding to know what had happened to him, the subtle editing of the story of how he had come to be knocked out on the planet – much to Col. Young's obvious confusion. Wray's attempt at being welcoming being rather spoilt by her suspicion regarding the rockslide-story.

Then there had been the girl – they had expected him to know all about her. And the obvious shock when he could tell them nothing. As though they couldn't understand why he would save someone he knew nothing about. The truth was that neither could he. Maybe he had just been in the rescuing mood, all the more lucky for her. He didn't even know if he had the energy to be curious about her. He couldn't feel shocked, or horrified that the aliens had done what they had done to him to a child. He felt as though it were completely natural, expected almost, that such cruelty would be revealed. He tried to care whether she would live or die – but he had spent too long not caring about anything but his work and ambitions, that with the sudden onslaught of strange affection for Chloe, he felt like all his goodness was used up and there was no more to spare.

In any case, he had much more important things to think about then either of the girls.

He was just busy running a check-up on all systems, just to make sure they hadn't somehow doomed them all without his stern supervision, when he heard someone sidle up next to him. He caught a flash of red and two fidgeting hands and sighed.

"What is it, Eli?" he asked without looking up from the screen below him. He surprised himself at how tired his own voice sounded.

Eli shifted nervously, and then did something that caused Rush to freeze. The young man, a boy really, stretched out a tentative hand and patted him on the shoulder. All of Rush's muscles tensed at the contact, and his eyes froze on the many buttons of the control panel. Eli cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "It's, uh…It's just really great that you're back…"

When Rush made no reply, and continued to stand as though made of stone, Eli nodded quickly and hastily moved away to his own console, feeling as though he had just stroked a lion and told it how pretty it was, amazed that he hadn't gotten his head bitten off.

Slowly, oh so slowly, Rush allowed himself to relax, his shoulders drooping from around his neck and his tight grip on the console slackening. He glanced up at Eli from under his lids, and caught the young man staring at him as though lost. When Eli caught his gaze though, he quickly lowered his head and failed in stopping his round cheeks from turning red.

An awkward silence, interrupted only by bleeps and the tapping of buttons, proceeded. It seemed the three scientists were having difficulty with the fact that he'd been abducted and come back without any change in demeanor or routine. While Rush continued seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere, his three partners glanced at each other worriedly. It was Park who dared to break the silence.

"So…" She began, trying not to be discouraged at the suddenly annoyed look on her superior's face, "How's the girl? The one you rescued?"

"She's fine." Came the short reply.

"Really? How do you know?"

"Because she's not _dead _yet, Dr. Park."

"Oh. Right."

And that was the end of her attempt at conversation. Rush hadn't even bothered to look up at her, and she tried to shrug off the slight hurt she got whenever he dismissed her like this. She had to remember that he had just been through something none of them would ever be able to understand. Even if he would have responded like that anyhow, foul tempered son of a bitch that he was.

Two hours passed in silence that slowly but surely became the comfortable quiet of four people working diligently. Then –

'_Dr Rush, please come in.' _

It was the voice of Lt Johansen sounding out through the radio on Eli's console. He picked it up and gingerly handed it over to Rush, who spoke into in a sharp tone.

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

'_You might wanna come over here. Our guest's awake.'_

Rush's eyebrows rose, "On my way."

'Thanks.'

Rush handed the radio over to Eli, who tucked it into his jacket pocket. He followed Rush as he walked out of the control room.

"Where do you think you're going, Eli?" He asked, almost tiredly, not bothering to look over his shoulder at him.

"Well," Eli said, panting slightly at having to keep up with the doctor's brisk pace, "I was kinda hoping I could see her. I mean, what she looks like."

"She's human. There's nothing special about her. She is not an animal in a zoo for you to ogle."

Eli seemed indignant, "That's not what I meant! I just wanted to…to get a look at her. Greer said she was…Well, I mean, I'm curious. I wont be a bother, I promise."

Rush almost snorted but contained himself. He could imagine exactly the sort of things Sgt. Greer might have said; _'wrinkled, weird,'_ and _'freak,' _came to mind. No matter though, Eli would see her eventually. It would be best to let him do it under his stern supervision.

When Rush made no response and simply continued at the same taxing pace, Eli relaxed and smiled, trotting after him like an overgrown puppy as he took his silence for permission to come with.

* * *

Tamara was getting freaked out. If the girl had had _any_ reaction – anger, violence, tears, relief – _anything_ at all, it would have been better then this silent, emotionless stare. The girl had pale blue eyes, which were probably supposed to be beautiful, but she found creepy. They were _too_ pale, _too _big, and too _cold_. She was so thin and bony, and small. She had been stripped naked and towel-dried, and she had seen how her hipbones jutted out. It was ugly, just like her white, wrinkled skin. It would eventually smooth out, TJ knew, and she would look better after eating some solid food, but for the moment she looked like…like something grotesque. She could make out her features; her face was round, her nose and lips delicate. Maybe she had the potential to be quite pretty. But for the moment, TJ had never seen anything so awful.

And she hated herself for it.

She was a girl who had probably been tortured, mentally and physically. And she somehow felt revulsion. Like she just wanted to run away from that stare. She had positioned herself on the other side of the infirmary and was trying to make herself look busy by making one of the beds.

"Lt. Johansen?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin, and barely stopped herself from screaming as Rush's voice came from just behind her. She swung around wide-eyed and smacked into his forehead. She cried out and Rush swore and stepped back, standing on Eli's toes while he massaged his head. Eli yelped and wrenched his foot free, hopping backwards and colliding into a trolley holding various surgical equipment that then clattered onto the floor.

A round dish spun around and around, and finally came to a stop, leaving a ringing silence.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry! I don't know why I – you – I mean, I just…" She didn't know what was wrong with her. She had never been jumpy before – one didn't become a lieutenant by being jumpy! That girl had spooked her, definitely. Eli was scrabbling on the floor and picking up whatever instruments he had caused to fall.

"Never mind, never mind." Rush dismissed with an impatient wave of his hand, and glancing over to the last bed, where he noticed the girl watching them with interest. She had an almost, to his eyes, quizzical expression on her face. She was staring at _him_, and that reassured him. She obviously had some clue of who he was.

The doctor waved away another of Tamara's apologies. "Has she said anything yet?"

TJ bit her lip and shook her head, "No, nothing of yet. She's just stared around her, but she hasn't spoken a word. I actually don't know what to do with her. I tried explaining what happened, but she didn't respond. At all. It looked like she understood me, I think, but her expression didn't change, she just lay there and…and _stared_."

Rush frowned at the small shudder TJ unsuccessfully tried to hide.

"I'll go talk to her." He said and made his was over to the girls bed. She watched his movements silently; with an expression that he had to admit was quite unnerving.

Taking a seat beside her bed, he watched her quietly for a moment.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked.

The girl didn't even blink, and her expression didn't change. He now knew what Lt. Johansen had meant about feeling that she had understood her. Her frowned, but continued.

"My name is Nicholas Rush. Dr. Nicholas Rush. I was the one that brought you off of that ship."

Still, she continued to stare and say nothing. So he stared back, his dark eyes searching her pale ones, trying to discern something within their depths. Her eyes were large, but sunken and heavily hooded which gave her a lazy, almost condescending expression. They moved over his face, narrowed and then closed in the first blink he had seen from her. They shot up from him and hovered above his left shoulder where he now became aware of an eager presence.

"Hi!" Eli said in a forcefully cheerful tone, "I'm Eli Wallace. Welcome to the Destiny! What's your name?"

Rush sighed and glanced at Eli with slight irritation. He was standing with his arms behind his back, rocking nervously at his heels, trying to keep a straight face while looking at her. The girl cocked her head a turned once more to look at the older man. She stayed like that for a moment, staring him fully and completely in the face, before lowering her eyes and fidgeting with the blanket, ignoring Eli's question completely.

"Doesn't she talk?" He asked, sounding disappointed.

"I suppose not."

Eli sighed, "She looks like a ghost. No offense!" He added hurriedly, anxiously catching the girl's eye, "I mean, if you even know what a ghost is…They're like, dead come back to life – which is a good thing, so don't worry! Not that ghosts actually exist, they're more of a myth really, but they're supposed to be really pale and you kind of are, so…"

Rush had to fight the twitching of his lips, struggling with the urge to smile. Often, Eli's ramblings got on his nerves. Occasionally though, he was amused by the boy's child-like qualities – however much he might claim otherwise. He was pure genius, no ulterior motives or goals…Just unadulterated intelligence and what someone more soppy might call a 'pure heart'. It was difficult not to grow fond of someone like that.

"Does she understand us?" Eli whispered somewhat loudly when the girl went back to fiddling with the edge of her blanket. Rolling his eyes, Rush shrugged, although inwardly his mind was going into overdrive. He had come to a troubling conclusion, but he could very well be wrong. Only time would tell. For the moment…

"Lt. Johansen?" He called, tilting his head to the side but keeping his eyes on the child. He heard the lieutenant approach.

"Something wrong?"

"No, no," Rush said quietly, "Not wrong. But I have a suspicion and I'll need you to keep an eye out for signs that it's correct."

TJ sounded suspicious, "Okay, what am I looking for?"

"I believe that she was born on that ship, and has been in the tank since birth."

TJ let out a troubled groan, and Eli gaped.

"Since _birth?_" He asked, disbelieving, "What makes you say that?"

Rush rubbed a knot in the back of his neck, "Just by observing her. Her reaction when I got her out of the tank, her lack of speech. I could be mistaken, but…"

"But it's a real possibility," TJ finished for him, "Damn."

Rush nodded grimly. The girl continued to fidget, ignoring their conversation completely. "That would mean that she's never learnt how to walk, never spoken, never heard speech…" He trailed off.

"It would mean she's passed the primary stage of development!" TJ exclaimed, sounding panicked, "She'd be like a baby for the rest of her life!"

The girl turned her head at the commotion and blinked at the flustered woman. Rush frowned – there was just something too intelligent in that expression.

"Hold on, Lieutenant, let's not be too hasty. She had an information transfer device on when I found her, and we have no idea what sort of repercussions that could have on her development."

Eli had an extremely disturbed expression on his face, and he gently reached forward and took one of the girl's pale, wrinkled hands. "She's cold," he said quietly.

"I gave her all the cover we could spare, Eli," TJ said distractedly, pacing up and down in front of the bed, "So you want me to look out for, what? Signs of improvement?"

"Or lack thereof," Rush muttered.

"What should we call her?"

Both Rush and TJ turned and stared. Eli tore his eyes away from the invalid and blinked up at them. "What?" He asked innocently, "We have to call her something!"

Rush raised a solitary brown and TJ bit her lip. There was silence.

"Okay," Eli said, with childlike annoyance, "_I'll_ come up with something and let you know."

"You do that," Rush said with an air of condescension. He turned to TJ with an exasperated shake of his head, "Have you informed the Colonel of her waking?"

TJ shook her head, "No, I figured he'd want to come over immediately once he found out and having too many people around right now could be a bit traumatic for her."

"So you chose to inform me first?" Rush looked surprised, and somewhat suspicious.

"I thought you'd be the easiest person to introduce to begin with, since you're the one that got her out of there. Ease her into human contact, you know?"

Rush snorted, and smirked at TJ's inquiring look, "Forgive me lieutenant, it's just that I find this amusing. You, thinking of me as being the easiest person to interact with on this ship. The irony…does not escape me."

Tamara huffed, "It's not really a laughing matter." When Rush continued with his little smirk, she rolled her eyes and gave a minute smile, "But yeah, I get why _you'd_ find it funny."

"You have a self-deprecating sense of humor," Eli added. Rush only seemed to derive more amusement from that, chuckling darkly.

"Would it help if I passed it off as a coping mechanism, Eli?"

"You'd be lying," Eli sang under his breath.

Shaking his head with a crooked smile, Rush got up from his seat, "Yes, well. You can either continue attempting to dissect my sense of humor and it's reasons, or you can come back to the lab and do something useful. There really isn't anything more to be done here."

"You're leaving?" TJ asked nervously. Rush lifted his eyebrows at the suddenly hesitant medic.

"Problem, lieutenant?"

Before Tamara could respond, Eli interjected, "Hey, um, Rush, would it be okay if I stayed here for a little while?" When Rush narrowed his eyes and seemed about to object, Eli took on a pleading tone, "Please? Just for a little while. I wanna help her."

Rush considered forcing his hand, but paused. He was too tired to fight, and Eli had at least made an effort to ask permission instead of busting Colonel Young in like Brody or Volker would. It might be a good idea to enforce such behavior. Besides, Tamara was looking visibly relieved and there wasn't really much for Eli to do in any case. So he sighed and rubbed his forehead resignedly.

"Fine, just be back in at least two hours." And he walked away.

"Thanks, I will!" Eli called with a grin. They heard Rush mutter something scathing under his breath, but could tell that he wasn't really upset. TJ stared after him in mild surprise.

"I expected him to give you more hassle."

Eli shrugged, still smiling, "I think he's in a good mood. And he's actually pretty easy to convince, if you know how to ask."

TJ snorted and rolled her eyes at Eli's attempt at passing kindness off as manipulation, "Sure, kiddo. You've got Daddy all wrapped around your little finger."

The young genius grinned nervously, "Just please, please don't let him hear you say that."

"That would be disastrous for all parties involved. Now, what exactly did you want to help with?"

* * *

Tada! Next time Eli will present us with the mysterious girl's name (any guesses? Warning: It WILL be slightly ridiculous) Please review and tell me what you think.


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